Board accepts $60,000 youth baseball/softball donation for Hawkins pavilion with $12,000 district contribution

The Brighton Area Schools Board of Education approved a plan to accept $60,000 from the Brighton youth baseball and softball program to construct a pavilion at Hawkins Elementary and to contribute roughly $12,000 from district funds to expand the structure to seat about 30 people.

The donation and district contribution were approved after administrators explained cost options: the donation alone would cover an 18-person pavilion priced at $60,000; Hawkins PTO pledged $10,000; the lowest vendor estimate for a larger structure (a 24-by-28 pavilion) came in at about $82,000, leaving an estimated $12,000 gap the district would cover to reach a 30-person configuration.

Miss Urbane introduced the item. A motion by Mister Storm, supported by Miss Marks, to approve the 24-by-28 pavilion with the district contributing $12,000 passed with six votes in favor and one abstention; the transcript records the abstention but does not attribute it in the excerpt. Administrators noted tables would be an additional cost and that the pavilion would use steel construction on a concrete slab; wood was considered more costly to maintain. The recommended location is behind the Hawkins gym so it can serve both playgrounds.

Board members thanked the Brighton youth baseball and softball organization and the Hawkins PTO for the donation. The board asked the facilities policy committee to update the district’s facilities rental policy when the pavilion is completed because the new structure may be a popular rental site.

Ending: The pavilion project will proceed with the donor funds and the district contribution; administration will finalize location details and additional costs for tables and report back to the board as the project moves forward.